On August 4, the Twilight fandom was resurrected from the (un)dead when Stephenie Meyer released Midnight Sun, the long-awaited retelling of the first book in the saga. Told entirely from Edward Cullen’s point of view, the book provides an entirely new perspective for readers who have been longing to return to the dreary, mystical town of Forks, Washington. For fans of the saga, this has been a long time coming — part of Midnight Sun leaked online back in 2008, after which Meyer indefinitely shelved the project. Now, 12 years later, she’s decided to bless us all with a Twilight Renaissance, during a time when so many of us could use any distraction we can get.
Midnight Sun did not disappoint, and I devoured all 672 pages of it within days. As a long-time fan of the franchise, I found myself wondering how scenes from New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn would have looked through Edward’s eyes. After all, so much happens over the course of those three sequels — enough that Breaking Dawn had to be split into two movies when it was adapted for the big screen. Although Meyer hasn’t announced whether she’ll be writing any more of the saga’s books from Edward’s point of view, I’ve pulled together five of my favorite scenes that I would most like to see through the eyes of the broodiest Cullen.
- Bella and Edward’s wedding
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Let’s start off with one of the best scenes in the entire Twilight saga, shall we? Bella and Edward’s wedding was the culmination of four books of romantic build-up, and it did not disappoint. Witnessing it from Bella’s point of view was lovely enough, but wouldn’t you love to see what was going through Edward’s mind as she walked down the aisle with “Flightless Bird, American Mouth” playing in the background?
This scene would also be quite complicated for Edward, since he promised to finally grant Bella’s wish of becoming a vampire after they were married. Fulfilling that promise isn’t something Edward is looking forward to, and I’d be interested to see how his melancholy and reluctance would influence his feelings at their wedding. (Side note: shoutout to Alice Cullen for setting the bar for my own wedding so high that I will never reach it!)
- Bella’s reaction to Renesmee’s nickname
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Ask any Twilight fan about the most iconic scenes in the saga and they’re sure to mention this one. Bella’s righteous indignation at Jacob calling Renesmee “Nessie” is comedic gold, especially following the revelation that Jacob had just imprinted on her newborn baby. Throughout Midnight Sun, it’s clear that Edward finds Bella to be endlessly amusing, and seeing this already-funny scene through his eyes would only make it funnier (if that’s even possible).
- Bella rescuing Edward in Volterra
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We know Edward was hunting Victoria during the events of New Moon, so that book from his perspective would surely be filled with fascinating new details — and I think this scene would be chief among them. It was exciting to follow along with Bella and Alice as they raced against time to Volterra, but I’m even more interested to know what was going on in Edward’s head at the time.
How did he feel when he thought Bella was dead, and his only option left was to ask the Volturi to kill him? Or when she arrived to save him and he thought, for one confused moment, that he had died and gone to heaven? Given how his inner monologue reads in Midnight Sun, I’m sure he would have been extremely melodramatic (and I mean that in the best way possible).
- Edward’s battle with Victoria
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Although Eclipse is my least favorite installation in the series, the gripping climax helps make up for it. The Cullen clan’s confrontation with Victoria and her newborn-vampire army was a long time coming, and it was beyond satisfying to see the evil vampire finally meet her end.
One of my favorite parts about this battle is that Bella plays a major role; she slices open her hand with a rock to distract Victoria with her own blood, thus giving Edward an opening to defeat her. I would love to know how Edward felt watching Bella willingly put her life on the line to help in the fight, especially since it’s clear in Midnight Sun that he views himself as her protector (at one point, he even sits outside her house all night because he’s afraid a meteorite will hit her house. I’m not kidding!).
- The final scene in the meadow
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I’ve saved the best — and, arguably, the most romantic — for last! In the final scene of Breaking Dawn, Bella lowers her mental defenses (a power she had naturally as a human and gained control over as a vampire) and allows Edward to read her mind for the first time in their relationship.
Edward’s inability to know Bella’s thoughts is a source of endless frustration for him in Midnight Sun, and I can’t imagine how cathartic this scene would be from his point of view. He spends so much time struggling with whether or not he’s good enough for Bella, so for him to finally understand just how much she loves him is really a culmination of their entire journey together as a couple.
Only time will tell if Meyer will publish more books in the Twilight series from Edward’s point of view. But, if she does, it seems like a sure bet that these iconic scenes will be included. (If I left out any of your favorite Twilight scenes, be sure to let me know on my book-dedicated Instagram!) Here’s hoping we can revisit Forks, and our favorite vegetarian vampire clan sooner than we think!